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- CDC Issues Advisory for Increased Risk of Dengue Virus Infections in the United States
On June 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory to notify health care providers and the public of an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024. From January 1 – June 24, 2024, countries in the Americas reported more than 9.7 million dengue cases, twice as many as in all of 2023 (4.6 million cases). In the United States, Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency (1,498 cases) and a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases have been identified among US travelers (745 cases) during the first six months of 2024.
Six US territories and freely associated states are classified as areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission: Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. In the rest of the United States, local transmission of DENV has been limited, with sporadic cases or small outbreaks in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas. However, confirmed local DENV transmission has also been reported by Arizona and California over the past two years.
The CDC advises health care providers to take these steps:
- Have increased suspicion of dengue among people with fever who have been in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission within 14 days before illness onset
- Order appropriate diagnostic tests for acute DENV infection: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] and IgM antibody tests, or non-structural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests and IgM antibody tests
- Ensure timely reporting of dengue cases to public health authorities
- Promote mosquito bite prevention measures among people living in or visiting areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission
Click here for the CDC’s Clinical Testing Guidance for Dengue.